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As Sri Lanka is in the midst of talks for standby loan facility from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), requests for access to areas of intensified conflict are being urged by humanitarian agencies.

“The Sri Lankan government has intensified the suffering of the displaced people by cutting off international humanitarian assistance to a region where there are no longer any functioning hospitals,” said Amnesty International in a media release on Thursday Mar 26th.

The statement further said, “The Sri Lankan government’s attitude so far has been to seek international assistance while rejecting international standards or scrutiny” said Sam Zarifi, Director of the Asia Pacific region at Amnesty International. He added, “United Nations and donor government must ensure Sri Lanka acts on its obligations and ends the discrimination and suffering of the displaced people.”

[Makeshift mortuary in Vanni, Mar 16th]

‘Eye witness photo’ courtesy of: http://www.warwithoutwitness.com

Full text of statement released by Amnesty International:

Tens of thousands of people, trapped in ‘safe zones’ in the north eastern Wanni region are at increased risk from the escalation in attacks by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the Sri Lankan Armed Forces, Amnesty International said today.

As the fighting intensifies and the number of casualties goes up, Amnesty International called for an immediate humanitarian truce, to allow aid to reach trapped civilians and ensure the safe passage for all those that wish to leave. The organization also called on the United Nations and international donors to put pressure on Sri Lanka to ensure unimpeded humanitarian access to camps for the displaced people in the region.

“The deliberate firing on civilians by either side constitutes a war crime,” said Sam Zarifi, Director of the Asia Pacific region at Amnesty International. “We cannot stress enough the importance of an immediate pause to allow the displaced to leave before thousands more are killed. The UN and international donors must put pressure on both parties to end this major humanitarian catastrophe.”

The organization has received credible and consistent reports that the LTTE has forcibly displaced civilians and pushed them into areas under their control in the Wanni, where they are effectively held hostage and used as a buffer against the Sri Lankan armed forces – a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law. Most independent observers estimate there are between 150,000 to 200,000 civilians trapped in the midst of the heavy fighting. The LTTE is also reported to have deliberately attacked civilians that have tried to escape from areas under their control.

The Sri Lankan government has intensified the suffering of the displaced people by cutting off international humanitarian assistance to a region where there are no longer any functioning hospitals.

Those people that risk their lives and flee face further ordeals when they enter government-controlled areas. Amnesty International has received information that the government is using the screening process at checkpoints and in transitional “welfare villages” as an excuse to discriminate against large groups of ethnic Tamils and to detain families for indefinite periods of time.

Reports show that the “welfare villages” established by the authorities are overcrowded and have inadequate facilities. In camps in Vavuniya and Jaffna the displaced are held in de facto detention, not being allowed to leave. There is also a continued military presence inside the camps which puts the civilians at further risk.

“The Sri Lankan government’s attitude so far has been to seek international assistance while rejecting international standards or scrutiny” said Sam Zarifi. “The United Nations and donor government must ensure Sri Lanka acts on its obligations and ends the discrimination and suffering of the displaced people.”

To address the human rights crisis in the Wanni region, Amnesty International is calling on:

- The Tamil Tigers must allow all civilians to leave the conflict area and any parties in a position to exercise influence over the Tamil Tigers should urge them to do that;

- The Sri Lankan government ensures that civilians trapped in the conflict area receive sufficient humanitarian assistance, while those civilians who seek to leave have safe passage out of the conflict zone;

- The Sri Lankan government ensures that displaced people receive adequate shelter and assistance, and are allowed to resettle quickly and voluntarily, in conformity with international standards;

- Sri Lanka’s international donors, including the UN, ensure that the assistance they provide is only used when international human rights law and standards are met, and cannot be used to support abusive government policies.

Without medicine or sanitation, situation in Vanni, Sri Lanka, deteriorates as heavy rains fall

With heavy rains pouring down in the last days, the situation in Sri Lanka’s northern Vanni region has deteriorated further. Médecins sans Frontières (MSF) is concerned that watery diarhoea and respiratory infections will pose serious threats to the more than 150,000 civilians still estimated to be trapped in the area.

People have been lacking drinking water, medicines and a sanitation system for weeks. Aid agencies have thus far been denied access to the people.

Living in makeshift shelters, or surviving under the open sky, it is reported that people suffer from shelling while being prevented to escape by the LTTE. Desperate for food, water, medical care and safety, an increasing number of people try to cross government lines, despite the risk of not making it into safer territory alive. Last week saw a wave of about 5,000 people arriving in the government controlled area of Vavuniya, bringing the total number of people who escaped the Vanni to nearly 50, 000.

Patient influx expected

MSF is expecting an influx of new patients in the days to come. There are still a reported 1,000 amputees awaiting evacuation on the beach in the Vanni and MSF fears the medical needs among internally displaced persons (IDPs) could overwhelm local capacity.

On Jaffna Peninsula, 3,426 IDPs are housed in five camps in Jaffna district. Two IDP camps were set up in Kodikamam and Mirosuvil of Chavakachcheri district in the southern part of Jaffna, but access to these two camps is restricted.

Despite an official request to the authorities, MSF has been denied authorization to conduct an assessment in these two camps by the Ministry of Defense. MSF keeps on trying to access these IDPs in Jaffna. Some of them were referred to Point Pedro Hospital for stabilization after having been shot during their trip from the conflict area.

Second MSF surgeon arrived

A second MSF surgeon arrived in Vavunyia hospital this week to work alongside Ministry of Health surgical staff. Last week the surgical team operated on 204 people, 193 of whom needed surgery for violence related injuries.

Space is running out in Vavuniya hospital, with two or more patients now sharing a bed. There are insufficient medical facilities to discharge patients to, and the level of care needed is such that they cannot stay in one of the shelter camps around Vavuniya. MSF has hired 55 local people to assist patients in their basic needs.

LTTE political head Nadesan-IBN interview via email:

The LTTE political chief has said it is inappropriate to use the word “trapped” to describe the present situation of Tamils in Vanni. He pointed out that Sri Lanka government is attempting to continue with the uprooting of Tamils from their own land, in an email interview with Indian TV IBN.

The source of strength and security for India’s southern flank is intertwined with the political stability and security of Eelam Tamils, political head of LTTE further said in the interview.

Full text of the interview:

CNN-IBN: How do you respond to Sri Lanka government’s claim that the LTTE is blocking a safe passage for civilians trapped in your areas?

Nadesan: First of all, it is not appropriate to use the word “trapped.” It is these people’s land, where they have been living for generations until the Sri Lankan government chased them out of their homes. They are not trapped; they are still struggling to get their life back in their land with dignity.

CNN-IBN: Where is Prabhakaran at the moment?

Nadesan: As you said, yes, there are rumours and speculations. But I can confirm that our leader is here with our people as always.

CNN-IBN: What do you think the LTTE can do to change India’s stand on the conflict?

Nadesan: We have neither ever committed any act against India’s interests nor have any intentions to do so. The source of strength and security for India’s southern flank is intertwined with the political stability and security of Eelam Tamils.

CNN-IBN: Would the LTTE chief be willing to meet Indian government officials and hold talks with them?

Nadesan: If the talks are without preconditions and towards the political aspirations of Eelam Tamils. India is the super power of this region; India is our friend. We always want India to get involved and be on our side.

CNN-IBN: Does the LTTE feel that politicians in Tamil Nadu are using the Eelam Tamil issue for domestic political gains?

Nadesan: It is obvious that all political parties have their differences of policies regarding domestic affairs; it wouldn’t be appropriate for me to comment on that. However, the Eelam Tamils sincerely appreciate the solidarity of all the people of Tamil Nadu. The strength of Eelam Tamils today is the support of the people of Tamil Nadu and the entire Tamil diaspora.

Nadesan declined to answer this question:

CNN-IBN: Does the LTTE feel that had it not been for the Rajiv Gandhi assassination, India would have supported the Eelam Tamil cause? Does the LTTE regret the Rajiv Gandhi assassination?

by W.G. Chandrapala

The media has revealed that the government has sought a US$ 1.9 billion loan from the IMF. Even though, the conditions set by the IMF for the grant of this loan have so far not been revealed by the Central Bank, I wish to make my personal views on this matter in the interest of the country and its people.

Earlier, the government raised a loan in the open market at a high rate of interest saying that it would not seek loans from the World Bank or other international lending organisations because of the unfavourable conditions set by them would directly affect the sovereignty of the country.

Now it has chosen to obtain this facility from the IMF to be utilised for the ‘development of the north and the east’ and other purposes like resolving the balance of payment issues affecting the country, or so the government says. Financial reports published in the newspapers say that our foreign reserves are enough for not more than five weeks.

Every government that came to power since independence obtained loans from the World Bank and other international financial institutions for the development of the country. But it is a well-known fact that successive governments used these funds for consumption purposes instead of using them to eradicate poverty in the country.

The international lending agencies were able to find out that the country has not reached the required level of development despite their granting subsidised loans for many years because all the funding made available had been used for consumption purposes and not for any development. They also realised that in instances where the funds had been made used of for development, the projects were lopsided and did not benefit all sections of the people.

Having set up various mechanisms to ensure that the funding was made use of for the purpose it was granted, the financial institutions learned to their dismay that the funding was being used for matters other than development and the main cause of this was the politicisation of public institutions. The financial mismanagement in the government also contributed to this evil.

The loans obtained by the governments have to be paid back not only by the present generation but also the generations yet unborn.

Recently, the government passed a new electricity reform bill in parliament, which leaves room for corruption, waste, and abuse of power. Most of the government institutions unlike in the past do not have a consistent policy. Ad hoc policies are drawn up by the ministers in charge of these institutions with an eye on how it could benefit them, instead of the institutions concerned.

Therefore, if ‘unfavourable’ conditions are set up by the lending agencies we cannot blame them, for we as a nation are responsible for this state of affairs. Naturally these lending agencies are concerned about the safety of their funds and hence the unfavourable conditions set by them.

I wish that the IMF grants this loan to Sri Lanka without any unfair conditions being imposed, because if used properly the funds would benefit the people of this country. But the government on its part has to be prudent and more transparent in its policies. The lethargy of the government — and especially the President in delaying the setting up of the Constitutional Council, and the road blocks set up by the constituent parties of the government to derail the Constitutional Council — and consequently the other independent commissions is a serious issue. [courtesy: the Sundayleader.lk]

[Appeared in 'Letters to the Editor,' ~ the Sunday Leader of March, 22, 2009]

As the Sri Lanka military assault goes unabated, thousands of Tamil Canadians formed their second human chain protest within six weeks to bring the plight of the suffering Tamil civilians to the attention of Canadians and the Government of Canada.

As many GTA news organizations headlined and conducted online polls the protests are having on the daily commuting of all Torontonians, several protesters appealed to bear the inconvenience.

[A chopper view of the Tamil protest that snaked through downtown Toronto on March 16, 2009~Picture courtesy of CTV.ca]

Many Tamils Canadians are expressing frustration that the weeks of awareness campaigns, rallies and vigils are yet to alleviate the sufferings of the Tamil civilians. They say the war and deaths in Sri Lanka are causing grief for every Tamil Canadian with family and friends in the conflict region in particular.

The Tamil Canadians are appealing Canada to help halt the war in Sri Lanka and also to send the civilians in the conflict zone urgently needed drinking water, food and medicinal relief supplies.

Video courtesy of Toronto Star~

Many demonstrators waved Canadian flags and the red-and-yellow flags of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), while some shouted slogans and carried signs calling for a separate Tamil state and for the Canadian government to reverse its designation of the rebel group as a terrorist organization. This aspect was markedly different from the last human chain rally of Jan 30th, 2009. During that rally the protesters only held placards highlighting the civilian plight.

Several of the today’s rally goers said the Sri Lankan Government uses several guises to uproot the Tamil civilians from the island nation. From removal of citizenship, race riots to pogroms, and now even “war and terror” are all part of the systematic slow ethnic cleansing of Tamils that has been happening over the past 61 years, a protester said.

Heavy combat erupted over the weekend suggesting Tamil Tiger rebels are mounting a desperate defence against the Sri Lankan military.

Sri Lanka’s armed forces say they have killed at least 150 Tamil Tiger fighters but there is growing pressure on the government to ease the plight of thousands of civilians trapped in the conflict zone.

Paul Chapman reports.

In a government report Sri Lanka Army spokesman said, the ship ‘Bin Tan’ which transported food supplies to Mulitivu from Trincomalle came under an LTTE artillery attack while it was unloading in Puthumatalan on March 9th.

Although the Sri Lankan military blamed Tamil Tiger rebels for the incident, the ICRC said it had no reason to believe the ship was targeted.

“We have no reason to believe the ship flying the ICRC flag was targeted by shells which were falling around it while trying to unload supplies,” said Carla Haddad.